Quote:
Originally Posted by _Richard_
would we recommend that pregnant women and elderly not infect themselves with a specific strain of flu.. when all science shows that 'run away' flu viruses require massive amounts of dead bodies sitting around during a war, mutating regular flu strains into something 'severe' enough to kill millions of people?
why would the old and pregnant infect themselves with 'regular' flu viruses?
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What?
Viruses do not live off dead bodies. Viruses cannot replicate on their own and instead make use of a living hosts replication/division mechanisms.
Also, viruses are highly mutable, so the more people who catch the flu results in even more variants - thus reducing the efficacy of any particular vaccine. Each year, the flu vaccine is a 'best guess' as to which strains are thought to pose the greatest risk.